Two brothers, Ayomide Babatunde and Gbenga Babatunde were in the early hours of Friday 30th of December 2022 arrested by men of Ogun State Police Command for kidnapping a woman and her nine years old son for ritual purposes.
The suspects were arrested following information received by policemen at Oja-Odan Divisional Headquarters that the two brothers were negotiating on phone to sell a human being either in parts or alive depending on how the buyer wanted it for money making ritual.
The supposed buyer, Jacob Olorunto, then informed the Baale of the community about the intention of the suspects, and the Baale quickly informed the police.
The supposed buyer was advised by the Police to play along with them to save the would-be victim.
Confirming the incident, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that on the 27th of December 2022, the suspects called the supposed buyer Jacob Olorunto and informed him that they have two human beings, a woman and her male child for sale.
Oyeyemi said: “They negotiated and settled for N600,000 as the price for the two persons. On the 29th of December 2022, one of the suspects, Ayomide Babatunde went to Ilaro and lured his 45 years old woman friend by the name Taye Oluwole to follow him to Oja-Odan with her nine-year-old son Remilekun Oluwole to celebrate New year with his father. The woman innocently agreed to follow him, and along the road, they stopped over to pick up the second suspect Gbenga Babatunde. The two suspects from there, took the victims to Igbo-Obe area of Oja-Odan to meet the supposed buyer, Jacob Olorunto. But they were rounded up by policemen in collaboration with some youths in the area at about 12:30 midnight, while the woman and her son were rescued. The two suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime.”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered that the suspects be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and diligent prosecution.
